Seven-Eleven, Seven-Eleven. Blackjack, Blackjack. Hit Me. No, not a punch in the face, it was casino night at the Student Center on Oct. 19. The Athletics Department held its fifth annual Sports Memorabilia Auction. This unique fundraiser included a casino theme for the second year in a row
Proceeds from the auction and casino night benefit the university’s athletics department. Most of the money raised will be used for student-athlete scholarships, said Dan Lathey, associate athletics director.
Two types of auctions were held simultaneously, a live auction and a silent a silent auction. Some of the auctioned items included a trip to Barbados, a trip to the Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving Game, including tickets to the game, hotel stay and a rental car. Also auctioned was a Tony Parker-signed jersey, a baseball signed by Nolan Ryan, signed memorabilia by Shaquille O’Neal and Dwayne Wade, plus many more items. A total of 10 pieces were auctioned live and more than 50 were auctioned silently.
Last year, which was the first time that casino night was incorporated into the auction, more than $14,000 in proceeds was raised.
“The goal this year is (to raise) $20,000,” Lathey said. “It keeps getting better every year.”
The event lured in both members of the university community and Laredo residents alike.
“This event is getting better every year and is a unique opportunity for the local community to obtain rare items (auctioned pieces). There is a lot of effort put into this and we are trying to make it a signature event for our fundraising efforts,” said Lathey.
“I love the items out there. I placed a bid on a Lou Holtz signed Notre Dame cap for my dad. The organizers did a great job in obtaining all these items for us to bid on,” commented Denise Giambelluca, who also bid on a Joe Montana item.
“We came for the basketball memorabilia, we like the casino aspect of the event but we were expecting to see a sports celebrity being here like last year (former Spurs Pro player George Gervin), but we still had a great time. The cause of the event is great, it is a great way to raise money for scholarships and we support them,” said Julia Cruz, Laredo resident.
The event also featured current university athlete participation. Members of several teams were visible behind the tables displaying the silent auction items.
At the end of the night, gamblers dropped their winning tickets for a chance to win one of eight “great” prizes.
“This is a great event for the Laredo community. It helps our university meet the community while serving as an important venue for scholarships. Mr. Lathey did a great job putting it together,” said Athletics Director Rafael Romo.